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Prokofiev's classic children's tale, Peter and the Wolf, comes to life in this enchanting performance featuring Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève and Michael Boudewyns of Really Inventive Stuff who will join together to tell this beloved tale in new and surprising ways.

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Prokofiev's classic children's tale, Peter and the Wolf, comes to life in this enchanting performance featuring Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève and Michael Boudewyns of Really Inventive Stuff who will join together to tell this beloved tale in new and surprising ways.

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The Philadelphia Orchestra Announces Details of its Historic 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China in Collaboration with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing

The Philadelphia Orchestra Announces Details of its Historic 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China in Collaboration with the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing

April 25, 2012

China Merchants Bank is the Orchestra’s Presenting Sponsor of the Residency and Tour

Orchestra will spend 10 days in China participating in an unprecedented schedule of residency activities, and performing concerts in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, and Shanghai

(Beijing, April 25, 2012)—Expanding its preeminent role as cultural ambassador between the United States and China, The Philadelphia Orchestra today announced the details of its pilot 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China activities with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing. The weeklong residency in Beijing marks the first time any U.S. orchestra has co-created a long-term residency in the People’s Republic of China, opening a new door for the Orchestra’s deeper engagement with China. The 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China runs from May 28 until June 6, 2012, and points the way for a future of new collaborations—innovative institutional partnerships as well as new musical convening and performances. China Merchants Bank is the Orchestra’s Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Residency Week and Tour of China.

The Beijing Residency Week pilot program launches the Orchestra’s unprecedented initial five-year commitment to connect through the hearts of local musicians to their supporting communities, launched through the sharing of musical talents between its own musicians and Chinese musicians, engaging in music education, and expanding awareness of classical music in local communities. The Residency Week includes three concerts, two free open rehearsals, community engagement activities, and U.S.-China diplomatic forums and cultural exchange programs. Additionally, from June 3-6, the Orchestra will continue in China, performing in nearby Tianjin—Philadelphia’s “sister city” in China—Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Chief Conductor Charles Dutoit, deeply beloved by Chinese audiences, will lead five of the six performances; Concertmaster David Kim leads a chamber orchestra concert.

“Honoring The Philadelphia Orchestra’s esteemed role as a cultural ambassador for the United States and continuing our close friendship with the people of China, today we are proud to announce a new partnership for the future,” said Philadelphia Orchestra President and CEO Allison Vulgamore. “We are humbled and honored to commit to the longer term possibilities we are co-designing with our good partners in China. I especially want to thank President Chen Ping and the NCPA for their guidance, support, and for their commitment to the comprehensive menu of music education and community engagement programming of the pilot project. We look forward to uniting citizens from China and the United States through this musical partnership and the glorious sound of The Philadelphia Orchestra.”

Mr. Yang Jingmao, vice president of the NCPA, stated: “The Philadelphia Orchestra is an old friend of the Chinese people and the premier ambassador of the United States. We are happy to host and partner with The Philadelphia Orchestra to inaugurate this new era of cultural exchange between China and the U.S. During the Residency, citizens in Beijing will have the opportunity to touch the power of classical music through the Orchestra’s artistic excellence.”

The Beijing Residency Week will go beyond the traditional concert experience, sharing classical music inside and outside of the concert hall and with the people. The Orchestra will perform in diverse locations to include the Great Wall, community centers such as the Beijing Mai Zi Dian Community, the Special Education School of Dongcheng District, and the Beijing School for the Blind.

An essential component of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s engagement in China will be to work collaboratively with the NCPA to identify and train Chinese classical musicians. During the pilot Residency Week, the Orchestra will give the world premiere of An Interrupted Dream by Du Wei, this year’s winning composer selected from the Young Composers Program by the NCPA.

The Philadelphia Orchestra announced its initiative in China with the support of the U.S. Department of State and the China Ministry of Culture last year as part of the U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange.

A Partnership for the Future—a Collaborative Agreement between The Philadelphia Orchestra and the National Centre for the Performing Arts

On April 12, 2010, Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong visited Washington and met with U.S. State Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Together they pledged to deepen the people-to-people exchanges between the U.S. and China. To achieve this, Liu believes that people-to-people exchanges should be people-oriented, world-oriented, and future-oriented.

To implement Liu’s proposal, The Philadelphia Orchestra, encouraged by the U.S. Department of State and China Ministry of Culture, signed a collaborative agreement with the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Washington in September 2011. In accordance with the agreement, “The Philadelphia Orchestra will, in May 2012, launch the partnership for the future with the NCPA as a first-year pilot program. The pilot program will prepare the way for the Orchestra’s commitment to China and sustained program beginning in 2013.”

Beyond the 2012 Residency Week pilot program, The Philadelphia Orchestra’s partnership for the future will further the Orchestra’s role as cultural ambassador by sharing musical talents and growing awareness of classical music. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s China initiative not only takes place in major cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, but also brings education and community programs to emerging cities and provinces. A partnership of this magnitude is truly groundbreaking and promises to continue to enrich The Philadelphia Orchestra’s musical and community cultural engagement platforms on an international level.

Philadelphia and Tianjin—Sister Cities

The City of Philadelphia has enjoyed an illustrious, official Sister City relationship with the City of Tianjin for more than 30 years. The goals of the Sister Cities program are to advance the mutual awareness of each city within its Partner City and to build a positive network of support in each city through respect for diversity, values, and traditions; through vibrant educational exchange; through growing economic and trade linkages and business alliances; and through the promotion of democratic values and government-to-government exchanges. Moreover, not only are both Tianjin and Philadelphia leading “green cities” in their respective nations, they are formal partners, mandated by their national governments (President Hu and President Obama joint agreement signed in November 2009) in the global effort to pioneer clean energy.

About The Philadelphia Orchestra and China

Over the past 70 years, The Philadelphia Orchestra has been committed to its role as the preeminent cultural ambassador through both prosperous as well as troubled times in China’s history. The Philadelphia Orchestra’s archival records dating back to a 1940’s charitable concert in support of Chinese war-battered hospitals connect the Orchestra with the people of China.

In 1973 The Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Eugene Ormandy, became the first American orchestra to perform in the People’s Republic of China at the special request of President Richard Nixon. The Orchestra returned to China in 1993, 1996, and 2001 under Wolfgang Sawallisch; in 2008 under Christoph Eschenbach in the 35th Anniversary Concert commemorating the Orchestra’s first trip to China; and again in 2010 under Charles Dutoit to perform at the World Expo in Shanghai. Of the musicians who traveled to China on the 1973 historic visit, six remain in the Orchestra today: Violinists Herbert Light and Booker Rowe; violist Renard Edwards; double bassist Michael Shahan (associate principal bass); harpist Margarita Montanaro (co-principal harp); and percussionist Anthony Orlando (associate principal percussion). Retired violinist Herold Klein, also on the 1973 visit, will also join the residency and tour. The Philadelphia Orchestra has a long and distinguished touring history throughout the world and is one of the most-traveled American symphonic ensembles.

Sponsors

The Philadelphia Orchestra is honored that China Merchant’s Bank has signed on as the Orchestra’s 2012 Presenting Sponsor. The Orchestra’s 2012 Residency and Tour of China is additionally made possible through the generous sponsorship of multiple partners. The Venetian Macao is Premier Sponsor and Macao Community Outreach Sponsor. Richard Hennessy, the Ultimate Cognac, is Presenting Sponsor for May 31 and June 5. Coca-Cola is Supporting Sponsor. Drexel University is Education Partner. Additional support has been provided to the 2012 Residency and Tour of China by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, NASDAQ, and PPG Industries.

The Philadelphia Orchestra recognizes and honors the sponsors of the NCPA’s strategic cultural partnerships and expresses its gratitude for their role as well in making the Orchestra’s 2012 appearance possible.

About The Philadelphia Orchestra

Renowned for its distinctive sound, desired for its keen ability to capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences, and admired for an unrivaled legacy of “firsts” in music-making, The Philadelphia Orchestra remains one of the preeminent orchestras in the world.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has cultivated an extraordinary roster of artistic leaders in its 112 seasons, including music directors Fritz Scheel, Carl Pohlig, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Christoph Eschenbach, as well as the Orchestra’s current chief conductor, Charles Dutoit. In the 2012-13 season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will become the eighth music director of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Named music director designate in 2010, Nézet-Séguin brings a vision that extends beyond symphonic music and into the vivid world of opera and choral music.

Philadelphia is home and the Orchestra nurtures an important relationship with patrons who support the main season at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. The Orchestra also performs for Philadelphia audiences at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Penn’s Landing, and other regional venues. The Philadelphia Orchestra Association continues to own the Academy of Music—a National Historic Landmark —as it has since 1957.

The ensemble maintains an important tradition of presenting community educational programs for local audiences. Today the Orchestra executes a myriad of education and civic partnership programs, notably its Neighborhood Concert Series, Sound All Around and Family Concerts, eZseatU, and more.

Through concerts, tours, residencies, presentations, and recordings, The Philadelphia Orchestra touches the lives of countless music lovers around the world. The Orchestra annually performs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center while also enjoying a three-week residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York and a strong partnership with the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

For more information on The Philadelphia Orchestra, please visit www.philorch.org.

The below listings are current as of May 23, 2012. Information is subject to change--for the most up-to-date information on the Orchestra's 2012 Residency & Tour of China, please contact Vincent Geels at 215.893.3140.

Ambassador Platt, who facilitated The Philadelphia Orchestra’s historic 1973 tour of China, will discuss U.S.-China cultural diplomacy and, in particular, the long-term relationship between The Philadelphia Orchestra and China. He will be accompanied by Herold Klein and Renard Edwards, two Philadelphia Orchestra musicians who performed on the historic tour.

The NCPA will host an archival exhibition of photographs and videos that include U.S. President Richard Nixon’s 1972 and The Philadelphia Orchestra’s visit in 1973. The exhibit celebrates over 70 years of The Philadelphia Orchestra’s engagement with China, a relationship unmatched by any other American cultural organization.

This prestigious and world-renowned brand partners with musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra to demonstrate the “perfect harmony” that goes into both blending one of the world’s greatest cognacs and creating the sound of one of the world’s greatest orchestras.

In honor of China’s National Children’s Day, this concert rehearsal will be open to students from Middle School 101 and the Chinese Migrant Workers School, as well as members of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

Open to invited guests and invited media.

Residency Community Engagement Event

June 1 at 2:30 PM – Friday afternoon – Dongcheng Special Education School

An educational concert by a chamber music ensemble from The Philadelphia Orchestra programmed for this audience.

Open to invited guests and invited media.

Residency Community Engagement Event

June 1 at 2:30 PM – Friday afternoon – National Centre for the Performing Arts

This concert will feature the world premiere performance of Niao Qing Si (An Interrupted Dream) by Du Wei, the winner of a Chinese nation-wide juried competition.

Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”)

Du Wei Niao Qing Si (An Interrupted Dream)

Shostakovich Symphony No. 5

Open to the public.

Residency Community Engagement Event: Maizidian International Community, Chaoyang District

June 2 at 10:00 AM – Saturday morning – Maizidian International Community Center, Chaoyang District

A concert by a chamber music ensemble from The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Open to the public.

Photo Opportunity: 1973 Musicians at the Great Wall Badaling

June 2 at 10:00 AM – Saturday morning – Great Wall Badaling

Dignitaries and Philadelphia Orchestra veterans of the 1973 tour will revisit the site at which the well-documented 1973 photo was taken. A brass ensemble from the Orchestra will give a short performance.

Open to the public.

Residency Community Engagement Event

June 2 at 1:00 PM – Saturday afternoon – Tianjin Grand Theatre

An educational concert by a chamber music ensemble from The Philadelphia Orchestra.

A quartet from The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform in celebration of the opening of a new exhibit, “Water Works,” by noted Chinese artist Ji Yun-Fei. The program’s thematic music will reflect the vision of the exhibition.

This prestigious and world-renowned brand partners with musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra to demonstrate the “perfect harmony” that goes into blending one of the world’s greatest cognacs and creating the sound of one of the world’s greatest orchestras.

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